New weapons and experimental tech
CoD 4's sequel needs a new weapon set. There's nothing wrong with the current one of course. It's one of the most brutal, affecting and 'real' gun collections in gaming, after all. But part of the reason CoD 4 made such an impact upon the senses was the shock of just how blisteringly deadly its guns were after years of clunky old World War II relics. Without something new to make us sit up and yell "Omigoddidyouseewhatthatjustdidtothatgguuuy!?", the next game is really going to be missing something.
So while we certainly don't want a futuristic game, we do want some bleeding edge, maybe even experimental technology to play with. Something along the lines of this stuff will do, even if it only turns up on special occasions in the campaign. Actually, given how stupidly over-powered some of it is, it's probably better that that is the only time it turns up. Balancing this stuff online would be a bitch.
An in-depth map editor for the consoles
This one is a no-brainer, surely? Now that Far Cry 2 has shown us that multiplayer map editors can seriously work on a console - and with staggering depth and versatlity to boot - a nuanced shooter with as dedicated a fanbase as CoD is begging for one.
Only one stipulation though. User-generated maps should only be available for use in private matches, unless vetted and approved by Infinity Ward themselves. We've already wasted far too much of our lives waiting for new maps to download in the lobbies of FC2 and various PC shooters, only to be rewarded for our patience with a scrappily cobbled together polygon abortion with all the balancing and intelligence of a day-old, three-legged kitten on a moonshine bender. But make no mistake, good CoD maps made by hardcore CoD players have the potential to be utterly brilliant. Given Infinity Ward's love of its community, this feature could open up some great competitions and events too.
Destructible environments in campaign
We once had a few fears that destructible environments might make a shooter too easy, removing the necessity for accurate aim and tactics in favour of indescriminate bullet spam. Thankfully though, 2008 showed us that if a game as cover-oriented as Gears of War can pull off the idea without ruining things then we can accept it with open arms.
So we want it in CoD. CoD 4's new weapons shook the franchise up with a vicious shot of devastating power, and we want that emphasised as plaster and wood explodes and splinters all over every environment. We don't want any Bad Company-style silliness where we can blast apart anything the enemy could be hiding behind, but we do want to be able to put pressure on them by chipping away at the edges of their hidey-places. And if they're doing the same to us, then Modern Warefare will be more intense than ever before.
Water cover
Another one we culled from Far Cry 2. It might be the simplest of simple pleasures, but one of our favourite things to do in that game is to drop below the surface of a river just before reaching an enemy camp, swim along submerged, and then pop up from our splashy camouflage to unleash soggy hell. We don't necessarily want swimming in the next CoD, but the ability to at least submerge up to our necks for a stealth approach would make us very happy indeed. However silly a dream it might sound now that we've written it down. Pre-emptive depth-charging with grenades would be hilarious in multiplayer, and you know it.
Improvements to the multiplayer spawn points
Above: It might look fun, but it makes you Satan.
More of them and a bit of spawn protection or cloaking please. Because spawn campers deserve to be heavily weighted and then strung up by the balls. Using razor wire.
We don't want WWII again - we want this
Our editors pick sides and do battle. Which shooter will emerge victorious? You decide!
